Check out these top 10 writing tips from our Academic Skills Advisors in the Study Support team. They can help make your next written assessment polished, compelling and flawlessly sourced.
If you are looking for further advice, examples and handy tools, check out the Writing Fundamentals section of the Learning Lab.
1. Start before you feel ready
Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Getting started early gives your brain time to think and improve your ideas. Write thoughts down on paper or in a document, even if nothing from this draft ends up in the final copy. A rough start is better than none and will reduce anxiety due to procrastination.
2. Know your audience
You may think that you are writing an assessment for your teacher, but that is not really the case. That’s why you shouldn’t omit key ideas, assuming your teacher would already know them. It is important to demonstrate to your teacher what you understand. To do this, write for the reasonably knowledgeable outsider to your discipline (or, for a very technical discipline, write for a student in a similar course at another university).
3. Break it into small steps
Big tasks feel easier when you split them up. Focus on one section at a time. Progress builds confidence. Commit to starting something for just five minutes, and you might surprise yourself by getting into the flow of work and continuing after the timer goes off.
4. Read the question carefully
Make sure you understand what is being asked. Look for directive words. These are key words like ‘compare’, ‘analyse’ or ‘discuss.’ The information you have is important, but these words tell you how to present that information.
5. Topic sentences matter
A topic sentence is the first sentence in a paragraph, signalling the topic of the paragraph to make reading easier. Well-constructed topic sentences can improve your results a lot. They perform like subheadings, even though they are whole sentences. Even so, keep them short – preferably up to 15 words at most. Subsequent sentences can expand on the introduced idea.
For example:
The impact of AI on maths education is profound and requires urgent attention.
6. Put citations next to the information
Citations shouldn’t go only at the end of paragraphs. This suggests the whole paragraph is from one source, which may be plagiarism. A well-written and researched paragraph should include information from more than one source. Place in-text citations right by the cited information, even if this is in the middle of a sentence.
For example:
Studies show that testing yourself helps you remember things more effectively than just reading (Gibbons, 2002; Roediger & Karpicke, 2006), and I did this with flashcards and trying practice questions.
7. Vary your sentence lengths
Long sentences do not generally sound clever; they just take more effort to read. Have a variety of sentence lengths and don’t underestimate the power of a short, punchy sentence. Your message is most important – don’t hide it under bulky language.
8. Use fresh eyes before submission
Always leave time to review your work. Look for spelling, grammar and clarity. Run it through the Val Writing Help persona for an AI-generated check.
Your own final review is most effective if you have a break for a couple of days, so you can see it with new eyes. If you don’t have time, print it out and change location: do your review in the park, on the train or in your favourite café!
9. If presenting, don’t read a script
Prompt cards and dot points are okay, but never script your presentation word for word – even if it is a recording. Natural speech is easier to engage with, while reading aloud can sound flat and requires more concentration from the audience. Practice your presentation until you’re confident, then speak as you normally do, with enthusiasm for your topic.
10. Target the objectives
All courses have learning outcomes or objectives. You may find them in your subject guide or perhaps at the start of the lecture. These define the information required for assessments, so don’t feel that you need to study everything you can possibly find on the subject. Understand the concepts in the objectives and, if you have time, read a little bit around these as well.
Need more support?
The Study Support team provides specialised guidance and advice on writing, academic English, referencing and academic integrity, and maths and science study skills.
If you’re looking for help beyond these tips, you can book an appointment or drop in at one of our Study Support Hubs to chat with a Librarian or Academic Skills Advisor about your specific questions. We are always happy to help!
